People need to eat!

Update! Here's a piece from a few years ago, one of my earliest underwater themes.
I had just purchased some new paints and brushes, and wanted to break away from what I'd been making (mostly with an earth-toned palette and blocky forms.) This piece of smooth, thin birch panel had been kicking around the studio for some time, so I primed it in blue and I was off. The tight vertical format was a good challenge.

This week I donated an Artists' Proof of "Hatching Ground I" to the Williston Community Food Shelf for their fundraising auction. The print was made for me by North 7 Studio and is 100% pigment based ink on 100% cotton rag paper, matted in archival materials. (100%!) "Artists' Proof" means that it was a test-proof done as we checked for color accuracy & desired size.

The auction will be held on-line, hosted by cMarket, or "Bidding for Good," an auction site for non-profits. See links below.
A number of local artists have also joined in and their work should appear on the site in the next week or so. Kim Rainbolt is the organizer, and is asking for help in spreading the word.

WCFS Online Art Auction May 1st-May 7th!

This is a fundraiser for the Williston Community Food Shelf.
We provide food and essentials to those in need.

How You Can Participate: Donate art to our auction; become a sponsor of our fund raising auction; Bid online or make a cash donation online May 1st-May 7th, 2009.


If you have any questions or would like to support our event,
please contact Kim Rainbolt at 878-8701 or nolanrainbolt (AT) gmail (Dot) com

Thank You!

quick notes

Here's the weekend wrap-up:

1.) Studio night on Saturday, yielding a quick silly drawing on reclaimed frame backing.
1a.) This is my biggest completed colored pencil to date (16x20)

2.) Woken up Sunday by viciously hungry cat. Ouch.
3.) Weather is fantastic.
4.) Early breakfast out with Arkonbey, with donuts for afters.
5.) Start reading The Magician's Nephew.
6.) Good morning of painting (after consumption of donuts.)
7.) Afternoon visit from D & B. D & I take marvelous walk down to the park & back.
8.) Weather still gorgeous.
9.) Plans made for Monday with MW.
10.) Consume tomato sauce made with our own tomatoes from last fall.
11.) Finish The Magician's Nephew.
12.) Muddle about in studio.
13.) Forgive cat for clawing hand. Go to bed.

meca in days of yore

I had fully intended to bring these out when I met up with the other alums in Portland, but never got around to it. So here I go publicly embarrasing myself and perhaps a few others... First up, my old birkenstocks and white-clad rear take center stage in a polaroid that was rightfully thrown away by some meca publicity photographers. As it's the only image remaining of this huge drawing collage that I did (220 pieces) I do treasure it. Plus it looks so punk. This was junior year at meca.
The highlight of that year was our Washington, D.C. trip with Ed Douglas. I was using a disposable camera and didn't develop the images for months afterwards, so everything has a bluish tinge. Left to right, as I remember are:
Will B, Renee B, me, Chris K, Constance O, Julie...., ....(eeek I forget) and Jack S. I presume Ed took the picture. So far it's the only time I've been to the capitol, but I'd go back if I had the chance (the National Gallery! Smithsonian! Phillips Collection! GAH!)

This is from 1999, fourth & final year. My studio had this window as one of three walls, and there were work crews on scaffolding outside almost the whole year as renovations progressed. Arkonbey took this pic, and it's still one of my favorites from the whole time there.


Also taken by Arkonbey, (same space as above but at night) showing me in my lovely studio togs. Bleh, I probably was fresh from my dishwashing job or something.
That's all for now. Perhaps some other time I'll post the few others I have stashed away somewhere. I do rather wish I'd had a digital camera back then.

Miss Finch, with help from Miriam

Hello again. Today's posting is inspired by Miriam's comments on a previous post. Here is a rough sketch from my Quattro journal:

And here's an 8x8" pen & ink of the same basic composition. There will be some light watercoloring in addition to it's present state. The next version of it will have to be on larger paper, I ran into the edges here, and would like to include a bit more airspace around the characters.

Before heading out this afternoon, I got a bit crafty. I can still smell the glue-gun glue here in the studio. If what I made isn't totally ridiculous, then maybe it will make an appearance here. Sequins were involved, so I'm not sure.

Frogs for PW!

Here are a few of the frog 'studies' I've been trying to re-create for P.W. My goal was to recapture the feel of the original that sold at Art Hop, but without copying exactly. Well, there are a fair number of attempts, but still I'm not quite sure I've got it. Patient P.W. has been waiting for ages to see something (anything!) so here they are for her perusal.


Out for a jaunt with his mushroom umbrella and acorn. 4x6 inch.



Walnut ink wash, colored pencil and black ink. 4x6 inch (I like his eyes.)


Quite a departure from the 'original' I wanted to give him more landscape. (For 4"x6" I was able to squeeze in a good amount.)


Breaking away from the original 4x6 size, I went to 8x8 and then cropped to about a 5x7 size here. A few nice moments in this, but also a few technical issues. This led Rick to recommend me doing more figure studies for Frog.



These sketchbook images are from this evening, I'm trying to emphasize his "dancing" posture.

She's blanked herself! Alumni Show Re-cap

Yay, me. With all good intentions of putting up a new profile image, I find myself with none. Blogger and I just can't get along today!

Well, I'm back from a second trip to June Fitzpatrick's gallery in Portland, ME. This time I brought along my laptop, but did I think to post while I was there? Ummm... no.... But I did distract myself mightily with my new cellphone. Those will come once I figure out the phone!
Showing with me were: Renee Bouchard, Will Broadbent, Doug Dulac, Constance Oliver, and Jack Sabon. Forgetting about the camera on the phone, of course I forgot to take a picture of Renee & Constance when we were wrapping up the show Saturday.

June Fitzpatrick's High Street gallery was MUCH warmer this time around (thank you, June!) but it was still a very quiet few days. One couple who did come in happened to be regular customers from Artists' Mediums, of all places! Smart move on their part, as Maine was far warmer than VT that weekend.

Despite being within sight of the Portland Museum of Art, I missed the Friday night free admission once again! Feeling a bit road-weary after the drive and sitting in the gallery all day, I opted to check in at the Inn first and then go back downtown for dinner & art. Sad to say, there was a hockey game happening, so ALL parking had evaporated. After driving around and around and around (partly trying to find parking, but then trying to find my way back!) I opted for dinner from the grocery store, ate back in my room at the Inn, and wrapped up the evening on the phone with Dani.

Saturday and Sunday the fare was MUCH better: if ever you visit Portland, have dinner at Katahdin on High & Spring, and then have brunch (7 days a week! oh my waistline & wallet!) at Bintliff's on Portland street. I wanted to bring the waiters home with me, and oh yes, the food was amazing. Thanks to Mike & Heather for treating me Sunday, and for getting me to the MECA ICA Show "Twilight."

Cheers!

Pen & Ink for winter

The last two months, I've barely touched the acrylics. But I have been wearing out my crow-quill pen, I'm down to the last few drops of Higgins Black Magic, and my watercolors are finally getting used up.
Yes, there's a bit of a reading theme now. Perhaps I could do a story after all, despite my protests to the contrary.